Education is one of the key elements of modern society. It encourages talent, curiosity for science and technology, and brings the greatest contributions to the advancement of human knowledge. The state of the educational field is a reflection of the state of the society as a whole. Modern teaching methods are a sign that the respective society is open to new technologies, ideas and, thus, to progress. In this context, augmented reality apps and the headsets used to experience them are very likely to replace printed textbooks and blackboards in classrooms across the entire world.
The case for augmented reality as the next generation educational tool is strong. Children have already experienced it through games. Also, AR developers and manufacturers have reached the level of professionalism and experience which allows them to create complex apps and devices, adapted to any kind of topic.
A New Learning Paradigm: Direct Experience
Reading about a topic is not the same thing as experiencing it. The human brain is designed to retain visual information in a greater proportion than written words. This is why, for instance, people will learn a new skill faster through a video tutorial than by reading written instructions.
A collaborative and interactive learning environment is beneficial for students and teachers alike, strengthening the ties between trainer and trainees, improving and stimulating communication and the exchange of ideas. Other key reasons why augmented reality is the future of education are:
1. An Immersive Experience Where Real Life Interaction Is Impossible
History and archeology students need to use their imagination to its full extent to imagine the way ancient monuments and cities used to look. Some ruins are better preserved than others, but they generally do not do justice to the original architecture.
Thanks to 3D modeling and augmented reality apps and headsets, students can now explore these historical landmarks as they used to look when they were built.
2. Immersive Training in a Safe Environment
Handling certain substances, materials and machinery could lead to serious accidents and injuries during direct training. Even when the student or trainee follows the instructions to the letter, a wrong movement could lead to an incident. This is why many companies choose augmented reality glasses and apps to train their new hires in a safe environment, before they start working with the actual equipment.
Being able to explore a 3D model and learn how the machine works by trial and error, without real life consequences to their health and physical integrity, allows students and trainees to acquire practical knowledge and apply it with the utmost care later on.
Here are a few other solutions AR tech offers to the industrial workforce:
3. Less Expensive Learning Materials
The price of textbooks places a great financial burden on students and their families. Sometimes, they only use a specific textbook for a few classes or only a few chapters of it are included in the curriculum.
Digital and interactive learning apps, in combination with AR technology, make it possible for schools and universities to group their curriculum into a less expensive learning material, which can be easily browsed and referenced in class and which can be also used for collaborative project works by several students at the same time.
4. Visualization Helps Students Understand Abstract Topics
Teaching physics, chemistry and geometry can become easier for the teachers, while students will understand concepts faster, by interacting with various elements with the aid of augmented reality apps and headsets.
5. An Exciting Learning Experience Encourages Curiosity
A teacher’s true talent is making every subject exciting for students of all ages. Augmented reality is, from this point of view, a teacher or trainer’s best friend in stimulating their students’ curiosity to learn, explore, and become experts in a certain field. An immersive experience which involves all the human senses is the next frontier in education and we are already exploring its territory.
